Introduction to Psychology

In the context of psychological research methods, which of the following scenarios is an example of the survey method?

Dr. Frank asks people how many hours of television they watch per week

Which of the following statements best defines critical thinking in psychology

It is the process of reflecting deeply, asking questions, and evaluating evidence

In the context of the visual system, which of the following scenarios best illustrates the functionality of rods in the retina

Marcus is trying to find his seat in the dark in a movie theater.

________ inhibits the firing of neurons in the central nervous system, but it excites the heart muscle, intestines, and urogenital tract.

Norepinephrine

Which of the following statements about the research study of defective color vision is true?

The nature of color blindness depends on which of the three kinds of cones (green, red, and blue) is inoperative

Which of the following statements is true of the practitioners of the psychodynamic approach?

They believe that sexual and aggressive impulses buried deep within the unconscious mind influence the way people think

An ________ is a drug that mimics or increases a neurotransmitter's effects, whereas an ________ is a drug that blocks a neurotransmitter's effects

agonist; antagonist

Katy was in a car accident and sustained serious brain damage. Since the accident, Katy can speak only one word. This is an example of

aphasia

The sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system are components of the

autonomic nervous system

Dr. Cardinale is interested in the effects of heredity and environment on intelligence. She compares the similarity of IQ scores of identical twins to the similarity of IQ scores of fraternal twins. In this case, Dr. Cardinale is studying heredity's influence on behavior using

behavior genetics

In the context of descriptive research methods in psychology, ________ are performed mainly by clinical psychologists when, for either practical or ethical reasons, the unique aspects of an individual's life cannot be duplicated and tested in other individuals.

case studies

In the human cell, threadlike structures that come in 23 pairs, one member of each pair originating from each parent, and that contain DNA are called

chromosomes

According to ________ psychologists, your brain houses a "mind" whose mental processes allow you to remember, make decisions, plan, set goals, and be creative.

cognitive

A(n) ________ is a person who is given a role to play in a study so that the social context can be manipulated.

confederate

The final step in the scientific method of psychology is

evaluating conclusions

Which of the following essential body functions are under the control of the autonomic nervous system?

functions of heart rate, breathing, and digestion

In experimental research, the ________ is a manipulated experimental factor, and the ________ is the outcome

independent variable; dependent variable

Tamika hypothesizes that women are more helpful than men, and she decides to conduct an experiment to test her hypothesis. During lunchtime, she goes to the crowded food court and deliberately drops her folder containing papers. She then notes whether the person standing closest to her helps her pick up her papers and whether the person is male or female. What is the operational definition of "helpful" in Tamika's study?

making an effort to gather the papers

The placebo effect is an example of a(n)

participant bias.

While walking barefoot on a beach, the physical pain that one experiences when stepping on a jellyfish most accurately exemplifies

sensation

The ________, located at the front of the parietal lobes, is defined as a region in the cerebral cortex that processes information about body sensations.

somatosensory cortex

When considering multiple sclerosis, which part of the neuron typically hardens and disrupts the flow of information through the neurons

the myelin sheath

Which of the following situations occurs when participants' expectations, rather than the experimental treatment, produce an experimental outcome?

the placebo effect

Gary, a psychologist, conducts a study to determine the association between beer sales and the number of road accidents. He finds that an increase in beer sales results in an increase in the number of road accidents. However, he realizes that the time of year could also significantly affect the obtained results because there could be an increase in the number of road trips. Which of the following is most likely exemplified in this scenario?

the third variable problem

In the context of ethical guidelines in psychological research, when data are confidential, it is possible

to link a participant's identity to his or her data